Candida tropicalis, a xylose-fermenting yeast, has the potential for converting cellulosic biomass to ethanol. Thermotolerant C. tropicalis X-17, which was isolated in Laos, was subjected to repetitive long-term cultivation with a gradual increase in temperature (RLCGT) in the presence of a high concentration of glucose, which exposed cells to various stresses in addition to the high concentration of glucose and high temperatures. The resultant adapted strain demonstrated increased tolerance to ethanol, furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural at high temperatures and displayed improvement in fermentation ability at high glucose concentrations and xylose-fermenting ability. Transcriptome analysis revealed the up-regulation of a gene for a glucose transporter of the major facilitator superfamily and genes for stress response and cell wall proteins. Additionally, hydropathy analysis revealed that three genes for putative membrane proteins with multiple membrane-spanning segments were also up-regulated. From these findings, it can be inferred that the up-regulation of genes, including the gene for a glucose transporter, is responsible for the phenotype of the adaptive strain. This study revealed part of the mechanisms of fermentability at high glucose concentrations in C. tropicalis and the results of this study suggest that RLCGT is an effective procedure for improving multistress tolerance.

Acetobacter pasteurianus , an industrial vinegar-producing strain, exhibits diverse phenotypic differences such as respiratory activity related to acetic acid production, acetic acid resistance, or thermotolerance. In this study, we investigated the correlations between genome sequences and phenotypes among closely related A. pasteurianus strains. The gene repertoire related to the respiratory chains showed that the respiratory components of A. pasteurianus has a diversity caused by several horizontal gene transfers and mutations. In three closely related strains with clear differences in their thermotolerances, we found that the insertion or deletion that occurred in the Na ⁺ /H ⁺ antiporter gene nhaK2 is directly related to their thermotolerance. Our study suggests that a relatively quick mutation has occurred in the closely related A. pasteurianus due to its genetic instability and that this has largely affected its phenotype.

Sporidiobolales is a fungal order of Basidiomycota within the subphylum Pucciniomycotina. This order encompasses significant yeasts, such as the oleaginous species Rhodotorula toruloides and the opportunistic pathogen R. mucilaginosa. We present the sequencing and comparative analysis of 35 Sporidiobolales strains from 27 species, alongside a Leucosporidium strain (Leucosporidiales), and incorporating publicly available genomic data for related fungi. Based on the phylogenomics data, we found that the topologies obtained were relatively similar and in line with previous reports. A comparison between genomic makeup and previously described phenotypes revealed that the ability to utilize nitrate, raffinose, rhamnose, or sucrose clearly correlated with the existence of key enzymes involved in the corresponding metabolic pathways. However, similar associations could not be established for other carbon sources, such as maltose, galactose, or xylose. We further identified orthologs that are specifically present or absent in each taxon. These results and the genomic sequencing data will help in gaining a better understanding of these non-model yeast species.

Nicotinamide cofactors NAD ⁺ and NADP ⁺ mediate redox reactions in metabolism. Gluconobacter oxydans , a member of the acetic acid bacteria, oxidizes glucose incompletely in the periplasmic space—outside the cell. This incomplete oxidation of glucose is independent of nicotinamide cofactors. However, if the periplasmic oxidation of glucose is abolished, the cells oxidize glucose in the cytoplasm by reducing nicotinamide cofactors. Reduced forms of nicotinamide cofactors are reoxidized by NADH dehydrogenase (NDH) on the cell membrane. We found that two kinds of NDH in G. oxydans have different substrate specificities: the primary enzyme is NADH specific, and the auxiliary one oxidizes both NADH and NADPH. Inactivation of the latter enzyme in G. oxydans cells in which we had induced cytoplasmic glucose oxidation resulted in elevated intracellular levels of NAD(P)H, limiting cell growth on glucose. We suggest that the auxiliary enzyme is important if G. oxydans grows independently of the periplasmic oxidation system.

Information about the mechanisms of host-phage interactions is required for the development of efficient strategies against bacteriophage infections. Here, we identified the ribitol-containing wall teichoic acid as a host receptor indispensable for bacteriophage infection.